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Connoquenessing Creek - RR bridge on South River Rd to Rock Point
Connoquenessing Creek, |
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RR bridge on South River Rd to Rock Point
| Usual Difficulty | II-III (may vary with level) |
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| Length | 6 Miles |
Gauge Information
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connoquenessing Creek near Zelienople, PA | ||||
| usgs-03106000 | 1.50 - 9.00 ft | II-III | 00h49m | 2.84 ft (rc= 0.5 ) |
River Description
The Connoquenessing Creek (Connie) from the railroad (RR) bridge on
South River Road to the Rock Point Boat club is about 6 miles long. The Connie has three sections
with easy access and is for the most part a roadside river, except for the last 1+ mile. The
Connie has some nice surf waves and some playable holes, but I would not consider it a play
river. It is great for river running, basic kayak instruction and some play. The Connie has been
known as a dirty river due to the sewage treatment plants on it and high nitrate levels from
steel plants. However, I have paddled and played in the Connie with my kids since the late 90s
and have never had a problem. I've also noticed more mayflies every spring on the Connie which
would indicate an improving water quality.
The upper section of the creek, from the RR bridge on South River Road
to the Hwy 488 bridge, is only about 1 ¼ miles long but has 7 rapids in it. Just below the
put-in, there is great wave for surfing which exists at every water level, but above 5' you will
have to catch it on the fly. At levels lower than 5', you have great eddy service. This section
is best run at levels between 2 ½' to 5'. Below 2 ½' it gets boney and above 5' it tends to be
just a wash. This section would be an easy class 3 at low water, at high water a couple of the
rapids move up to class 3+.
The middle section of the creek, from Hwy 488 bridge (Zona Bus parking
lot) to the old sewage treatment plant just down stream of the 5th Street bridge on
Wampum Ave in Ellwood city, is 3+ miles. The Slippery Rock creek joins the Connie just below the
put-in which about doubles the flow. The first 1.5 miles is pretty flat, an easy class 2 up to
about 4'. At the first rapids, Billy Goat, the river turns to the left and there are some
trailers on the right shore. This rapid forms into a great wave train at 3' and above. The most
fun line is to the left, but you can avoid the waves by going down the right side. There is a
hole about halfway down, which can be punched by a class 2+ paddler. At levels over 5' a bigger
hole develops at the bottom left, I have not tried to punch that one. Shortly past Billy Goat,
there is "lunch rocks", a great place to take a break at lower water levels, with a good surfing
wave for the more energetic paddlers. For about the next mile, the run is just class 2 water. At
levels above 5', this section has diagonal waves forming near the shores that can get your
attention, but if you stay in the middle it is still easy. After a high road bridge and an old
power house on river left, there are two class 2+ rapids. At the bottom of the second rapids,
there is a nice wave with a breaking wave/hole in the middle of it. The eddy on river right gives
the best access. Shortly after this there is a big sloping rock on river left that is the local's
jump rock. Shortly after you pass under a 2nd road bridge, the old sewage treatment
plant will be on your right. This section is run able at any level above 1.5' and even at high
water a class 2+ river.
The lower section from the old sewage treatment plant to Rock Point is
only about 1 ¼ mile, but is the prettiest and most fun section to boat. Rock Point is about 1 ½
miles east on Wampum Ave. from 5th Street. This section was rarely run in the past
because you had to be a member of the Rock Point Boat club to get access to the take out or do a
long steep carry out. This property now belongs to the Wild Waterways Conservancy (www.wildwaterways.org) and
has limited public access. The access road, about ¾ mile long, is chained with keyed access for
boat club members. This gate is open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm April thru September. October thru
November it is open Saturday and Sunday 8:00 am to dusk and locked Monday thru Friday. December
thru March the gate will be locked. Access issues are still in flux due to abuses such as dumping
and vandalism. This is not a park, take everything out with you and be polite to boat club
members. At this point, they are maintaining the road for your access. Park up by the railroad
tracks, leaving the lower parking for the boat club members.
The lower section of the river starts out slowly with a ¼+ mile of
easy class 2 water and then the fun begins. The river takes a sharp turn to the left and goes
under a high railroad bridge; this begins the first of about 6 rapids. At low water, there are
big pools at the end of each rapid, at high water some of the rapids start to merge. Rooster
Tail, about your 3rd rapid, will be the most significant and at high water could be a
class -4. There are no good land marks and because the rapids tend to merge at high water the
start of Rooster Tail is best recognized by the more difficult nature of the rapid. At low water,
Rooster Tail is a regular rapid that ends with all the water channeled to river left by a big
sloping rock on river right - just follow the current. At high water, the big sloping rock on
river right forms a hole. The easy line is to start mid-river and follow the current to river
left thus avoiding the hole. There is a diagonal wave formed by all the water getting channeled
to the left that likes to flip people if they are not squared up to it. At high water, a swim
here can be longer than most people enjoy. There is another good jump rock on river left in the
pool below Rooster Tail. The second-to-last rapid is marked by a collapsed metal foot bridge
visible on river right. The foot bridge does go across the river under water but at low water it
is in the pool and at high water, when there is some current, the bridge is too deep to have to
worry about. This section ends with ¼+ mile of flat water to the take out. This section is run
able above 1.5', but the first ¼ mile is pretty boney at less than 1.7'.
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2001-01-20 23:08:55
Editors
Stream Team Editor
Paul Eisner
NWRI - Connoquenessing Creek RR bridge on South River Rd to Rock Point (mobile)